The Blog

Hello TouringPlans readers! My name is Ben Crain and I’m so excited to be joining the tremendous team of bloggers here. I am the creator and host of the WDW Ride Guide Podcast, and an Authorized Disney Vacation Specialist. I’m passionate about helping others explore Walt Disney World one ride or attraction at a time. With my introduction out of the way, I would like to introduce you to the Single Rider Line at Walt Disney World.

Expedition Everest, Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, and Test Track are three of the most thrilling attractions in all of Walt Disney World. These attractions whisk you through exciting environments at speeds up to 65 mph! Thrill seekers live for inversions, loops, and 80 foot drops–however, chances are you will be visiting Walt Disney World with someone that isn’t quite ready to face the menacing Yeti, or have Aerosmith music pumping into their ears while racing through the dark. Or, maybe you have a little one that feels the need for speed, but doesn’t yet measure up to the height requirement.

Whatever the scenario, there is a way to satisfy the thrill seeker without sacrificing an hour separated from your group. Say hello to the Single Rider Line! This a way for one or several riders in your group to experience these 3 attractions with a shorter wait. Here is how it works:

Step 1: Enter the queue designated Single Rider Line.

Step 2: Wave as you pass the poor souls in the standby queue!

Step 3: Proceed to the next Cast Member.

Step 4: Wait to fill a seat created by an odd number group in the standby queue.

The Single Rider Line offers varying degrees of time savings across the 3 attractions. Let’s break down each one.

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith

This amazing indoor roller coaster sends you screaming past the neon signs of LA. With a 48” height requirement, it is no surprise that this is the most intense of the Disney coasters. Rock ’n’ Roller starts by going from 0-60 in less than 3 seconds and includes 3 inversions.

Photo – Ben Crain

On average the Single Rider Line saves the least amount of time here because most riders want to sit with someone they know, therefore you won’t find as many oddly numbered parties. Signs outside the ride warn that the Single Rider Line may take just as long as the standby queue. Have no fear, the Touring Plans app, Lines, is here! Utilizing the app you can see how the standby line compares to the Single Rider Line.

Actual wait times (Wednesday in July, 2:45 pm)

Standby: 49 minutes

Single Rider: 21 minutes

Time Saved: 28 minutes

Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain

For many, Expedition Everest is their favorite roller coaster in the parks. Thrill seekers over 44” tall will likely want to face off with the Yeti more than once, making the Single Rider Line a great option for multiple treks up the snowy mountain.

Photo – Ben Crain

When you arrive at the entrance to Expedition Everest you will see the standby queue and Fastpass+ entrance right next to each other. However, you may not notice the Single Rider Line at first. While facing the main entrance, look for a sign on your right for the Single Rider Line posted on one of the nearby village walls.

Actual wait times (Wednesday in July, 2:45 pm)

Standby: 32 minutes

Single Rider: 12 minutes

Time Saved: 20 minutes

Test Track

Test Track has the lowest height requirement of the 3 attractions, at just 40”. This makes the 6-passenger simulation car test ride something that most groups can enjoy together. Pair that with the interactive queue where you can design your own sim car and you will find few people think of the Single Rider Line at Test Track.

Here, the Single Rider Line moves pretty quickly as most parties will be in groups of 4 or 5, leaving 1-2 extra seats to be filled on many vehicles. There is even a good chance you could enter the Single Rider Line with a party of 2 or more and end up in the same vehicle, although you will probably not sit next to each other.

Actual wait times (Wednesday in July, 2:45 pm)

Standby: 120 minutes

Single Rider: 21 minutes

Time Saved: 99 minutes

One final piece of strategy to consider with Test Track: Now that Frozen Ever After is open and Soarin’ Around the World is up and running, Test Track may be the ideal spot for the Single Rider Line. Grab a Fastpass+ for Frozen, ride Soarin’ first thing, and utilize the Single Rider Line at Test Track for maximum touring efficiency.

When using the Single Rider Line, keep these things in mind:

The Single Rider Line does not require a reservation like Fastpass+.

You will bypass the majority of the queue, including most interactive elements.

You don’t have to travel solo to use the Single Rider Line.

Be prepared to ride with complete strangers. Consider this a thrilling photo bomb opportunity!

Check the Lines app for Single Rider Line availability and expected wait times.

If you would like to learn more about my obsession with Disney rides, please check out the podcast at www.wdwrideguide.com, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Etsy. If you would like help making your next Disney vacation more magical, e-mail me at b.crain@magicalvacationplanner.com.

As two childless adults with many trips under our belts, we definitely make the most of single rider lines whenever possible (hoping for one on Seven Dwarves!) I do wish that Touring Plans would account for the shorter wait time, particularly when we plan to ride multiple times using this line.

In my opinion, the only reason most of the interactive elements exist in the first place is to entertain people because the lines are so long (duh, that’s obvious…). All fine and good, but I go to TT to ride the ride, not to see a bunch of subtle ads for GM/Chevrolet, so I don’t really feel I’ve missed much.

On RRC, there aren’t really any interactive elements in the queue that you miss by going single rider, so no loss there either.

Finally, I find the single rider on EE to be a double-edged sword. I typically save the most time by using that line than either of the other two (often only waiting a minute or two). However, as a climber, I miss all of the cool mountaineering related stuff in the main queue. I balance this by trying to ride once a trip through the standby queue. Even though it takes me quite a while longer, the details in the queue really are worth taking a close look at (at least if you are interested in climbing).

Do single rider lines at WDW ever get overwhelmed and closed like the ones at Disneyland Resort? I learned that the hard way during a solo trip to California between Christmas and New Years – single rider lines for Indiana Jones, Materhorn Bobsleds, California Screamin’, and Radiator Springs Racers were all closed for the day when the lines extended out into the pathways, always before 11 am. Not being able to use single rider lines dramatically changed my touring plan strategy.

If the Singles line gets longer than the Standby line, yes, they will close it temporarily to let it “catch up” (just like they do in Anaheim). Note in the article’s Everest photo above, the sign shows that the single rider entrance was closed.

Despite blogs like this one, the single rider line remains one of the greatest secrets at Disney. My family and I used the Unofficial Guide’s touring plans as a group, but used the single rider line when we rerode our favorites later in the day. We often got on at the same time anyway and never were separated by more than one ride if we didn’t get on at the same time.

I cannot recommend single rider enough. I’ve done 3 trips on everest in 26 minutes and 3 on RRC in 17 minutes! I even have a selfie of myself as the only person on the single rider platform in the RRC preshow room. If you can use these lines you totally should!

My tip: the single rider line on test track only lets you pick from a list of preset cars, but if you go in through the gift shop there are three stations with the full design experience, and you can save it to your magic band to use on your next ride.

The single rider line for RocknRoller Coaster was terrible back last December when we tried it. The people that entered the regular queue at the same time loaded onto the ride probably 15-20 mins before we did. Plus in the last section before the ride you feel like a rat stuck in a cage.